VIRDEN, Man. – Jason Smith says he “fought like hell” to get a crop seeded this spring in western Manitoba.
Last week he was wondering why he bothered.
Smith farms near Foxwarren, Man., one of the areas swamped by rain in May and June.
Although he managed to get most of his land seeded, Smith knows he will face dismal prices when he starts hauling grain to the elevator this fall.
He made his frustration known by joining an Aug. 17 farm rally on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Virden. The rally, dubbed the “slow down show down,” was a protest against what farmers consider a failure by Ottawa to address the farm crisis.
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The convoy slowed traffic, but there was no effort to blockade the highway.
Posters mounted on the sides of tractors and trucks called for the resignation of federal agricultural minister Lyle Vanclief while conveying disappointment with the ChrŽtien government.
Other posters took aim at the Agricultural Income Disaster Assistance program, a farm safety net that many farmers consider flawed and inadequate.
“I don’t think people are looking for a handout,” said Smith while travelling at a snail’s pace along the highway.
“They just want a fair price so a guy can make a go of it.”
Gary Kendrick said better safety nets and price supports are needed to keep farmers on the land. He drove a tractor from Reston, Man., to join the mid-day rally.
Planted but worthless
Kendrick seeded only 600 acres this spring, a third of what he normally plants. He said he expects to lose money on the wheat, oats and barley that he managed to get in the ground.
“Farmers are sick of working for too little,” he said, explaining his involvement with the rally.
There was talk last week that farmers may soon take their protest to the steps of Manitoba’s legislature. And Kendrick warned that a protest on Parliament Hill is likely if the federal government doesn’t show more support.
“It’s in the wind already.”
Organizers estimated that 500 farmers took part in the Manitoba rally near Virden. Trucks and tractors arrived from throughout western Manitoba and parts of eastern Sask-atchewan.
“The frustrations are getting higher and higher,” said Debbie Kooting, a farmer from Rapid City, Man., who helped organize the event.
“How much more does the government want us to do to get their attention?”
Several rally participants had land that went unseeded this spring because of excess rain. Kris Vanas, a Virden area farmer, usually seeds about 1,200 acres. This year he seeded nothing.
He plans to apply for the $50 per unseeded acre promised by the Manitoba government,but he knows that money will cover only a portion of his bills.
He hoped last week’s rally would convince Ottawa that farmers face a double whammy because of the wet spring and low commodity prices.
